Perspective
by Unknownmusic
Summary: Kane doesn't know the definition of normal. He grew up playing with knives and giggling at monsters. What's an obsessive-compulsive son of Death going to do when he's plunged into Soul City's society?


**I don't own Soul Eater.**

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><p>The word "normal" didn't exist in Kane's vocabulary. He didn't grow up in a quaint house with a tile roof and a fireplace to settle around or a kitchen to watch his mother cook in. He didn't grow up playing with trains or little soldiers. His first word wasn't "dada" or "mama". He never wore jeans or a t-shirt or even slippers outside of his bathroom for that matter. The very first thing he learned wasn't his ABC's. He had never loved a TV show or even a character.<p>

What he did grow up in was a gigantic mansion so large he had to spend years figuring out ever nook and cranny. What he did grow up with were countless servants cooking and cleaning for him. What he did grow up playing with were knives, scythes, and most of all, guns. His first word was "death". He grew up wearing suits, brand name clothing, and, at the very least, oxford shirts and loafers. The very first thing he learned was the concept of death. He grew up loving perfection and symmetry.

So, needless to say, Kane did not grow with a "normal" childhood. He was never given the luxury of relaxing or simply playing all day with no goal or point to it. Everything he did or said was for a purpose.

To add to Kane's list of abnormalities, he grew up in a world that revolved around madness and death. The society he grew up in was created and thrived upon the single goal of protecting "normal" from madness. Madness was a very real person and a very real threat. It wasn't just a madness gained from mind infections or a madness born within the womb. It was a madness that seeped through the land. It was madness that robbed people of their will. It was a madness that created evil and darkness in the world. So Kane grew up in a society that fought such things with their very own set of advantages.

People who fought the madness had a variety of talents and powers. Some were "normal" but trained to the height of human prowess. Some were born "normal" but introduced to power and therefore eligible to fight. Some were just born with power and born into the society.

Kane was the latter. He knew about madness his entire life. He had known darkness, evil, and death before he could know how to walk. It wasn't a scary prospect to him. It was just a fact of life and he accepted it just as countless of his ancestors did.

Even in in his ancestry, Kane was not "normal". His family came from the very first rebel against madness. They were the very first and the most powerful. His family headed the society that fought madness and were deemed Death. Death was not a dark word in his society. It meant a death of madness and a death that freed those who were trapped by madness's clutches. Since he was a member of such a family, Kane grew up isolated and trained for the very task of defeating madness.

That is, until his sixteenth birthday.

"Thank you, father," Kane smiled formally at the tall figure in black before him. "I cannot express my gratitude…how can I possibly accept this gift?"

"Don't be silly," Death, the current head of the Death family brushed. "It is no secret that they are your favorite weapons. You are sixteen. I think you are more than old enough to own a pair of your own."

Kane couldn't help but smile down at the silver guns in his hands. They were beautifully crafted, the very best. A skull lined the edges and the bullet holes were in the shape of skulls; they were perfect to form skull bullets. After all, only "normal" people used metal bullets in Death society. Anybody who was anybody used their own soul energy to create "bullets". Kane experimentally spun the weapons in his hands and smiled one more time before dissolving them into his pocket dimension.

Death grinned down at his son and rubbed his head affectionately. "Well, son, I have one more gift for you."

Kane looked up at his father in surprise. In the past, he had never gotten a gift for his birthday, much less two. "Father?"

"I think it's time you spend some time outside of this mansion."

Kane's eyes widened in shock. Was his father implying what he thought he was? He cautiously said, "Father, I already do…I go to my tutor's houses often."

"I don't mean that."

Kane couldn't keep the astonishment out of his expression. He really did mean it. "Father…you couldn't mean…?"

Death allowed himself a smile. "Yes, Kane, I think it's time you spend some time out in Death society."

Kane's face broke out in a brilliant smile. He had been happy in his home, but he had always wanted to know what it was like in a world that wasn't his mansion. Sure, there wouldn't be as much symmetry (he shuddered at the thought), but Kane knew that if he stayed in the mansion his entire life, it would much worse than dealing with the world's lack of symmetry.

"To be specific," Kane's father continued. "I think you should attend school."

Whoa…wait a minute. School? "Father," Kane struggled out, "did you just say school?"

Death looked down at Kane with a strange expression. "Yes, I did. I thought that the best way to ease you into a different environment would be to introduce you to school and to students around your age."

Kane struggled to maintain his surprise and disappointment. "But…father…aren't I far ahead of anybody my age?"

"Arrogance does not suit you, Kane, but I see your point." Kane flushed. "I just don't think that plunging you into society would be good for you. You must learn to communicate well and deal with the intransitives of conversation." A sly smile broke across Death's face. "Besides, I think you would be surprised to find the amount of talent in students your age."

Kane found it difficult to think that anybody could be stronger than somebody of the Death line. After all, only those in the Death family could have power over death and what could be more powerful than power over death? Kane shoved down his arrogance. No, he knew that there would always be somebody better and more powerful than himself. Maybe his father was right. The best way to get himself into a public environment would be school. At least that way, he could pinpoint who was stronger than himself in his age group. Kane felt a touch of satisfaction at his conclusion and grinned up at his father.

"You're right, father."

Death was a little taken aback by his son's automatic change. He had always known that his son was intelligent and powerful. He had a feeling that he would become stronger than himself. Kane would find the most efficient and wise route to a solution and stick with it. Sometimes Death regretted the way Kane was raised. Perhaps more time outside of training and studying would have been better.

"Perfect…the term starts tomorrow."

~0~

"Evan!" shouted a shrill voice across the hallway. A small girl just entering her teens came charging through the throng of students and crushed an older albino in a hug.

"Ah!" Evan exclaimed in shock. His crimson eyes glared down at the smaller girl. "Mary, I thought I told you to stop doing that! We're at school for Death's sake!"

Mary looked up at Evan and smiled coyly. "But, brother…"

"Now don't go pulling that expression on me. It won't work. I already told you that I will not walk you to your class. I already walked to school with you already!"

"Brother…"

Evan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. His sister could be such an annoyance at times but he just couldn't ignore that expression she always pulled on him. "Well…"

"Whoohoo!" shouted another voice from behind Evan. Evan jumped but a flood of relief overrode his irritation.

"Brant!" Evan grinned. "It's good to see you!"

"I know," smirked the blue-haired teen. "I'm just that fabulous."

Normally, Evan would have been annoyed with his friend's huge ego but today he was just glad there was somebody to distract him from his sister's expression. "So you want to head to class?"

"Of course!" Brant bellowed.

"Hey!" Mary interrupted. "You just barged right into our conversation!"

"Oh sorry little Mary," Brant grinned. "But we have to get to class."

"But-but Evan promised-"

"I didn't promise anything," Evan happily cut in. "I need to get to class, Mary. I'll see you during break!" He quickly grasped Brant's arm and went scurrying down the hall to his first class before his sister could say anything else.

"I think you owe me," Brant smirked.

Evan grinned back. "I already buy you lunch. What else do you need?"

Brant smiled evilly but he just bounced inside the large classroom.

The classroom was more structured like a lecture room. There were rows of wooden tables and chairs gradually getting higher the father away it got from the large blackboard like a theater would. A large empty area around the blackboard was smoothed out for a practicing arena. This was the only class that had such a structure. Only the Esparto class got a higher quality facility because of the high a nature of the course.

The school they attended was a school for those on the road to Death society. They were training to fight off madness once they graduated. Each student had his/her own talents and powers to aid them. But only the strongest in the entire school could enter the Esparto class and only those who graduated an Esparto could ever come in contact with Death. The rest continued to be a part of Death society and fought the evil of madness but they often took missions that were less threatening.

Brant settled into a seat towards the back of the class and plopped his legs on the table.

"Brant!" Evan exclaimed.

"What? You're so uptight, Soul," Brant grinned.

Any gratitude Evan felt towards his friend for saving him from his sister evaporated the second his friend said his last name. Evan came from a very wealthy and powerful family. It ranked up there with the noble families just below Death's own. His family were masters of controlling the soul, hence their last name. Everybody in the family was a master musician. Through their sound waves, they could control souls and madness if needed. Evan's parents were singers. His sister was a flutist. Evan was a pianist. But something about performing in front of a crowd set Evan's nerves on edge. His parents could perform. His own little sister could perform in front of thousands. But when Evan went on stage, he froze. Evan knew he was a gifted pianist. There was no arguing that. But he could only display his skill when he was alone or with somebody he knew very well. So he was ridiculed as a member of the Soul family with no apparent skill to show in public.

Brant noticed his friend's immediate anger and quickly soothed it. "Hey, I'm sorry Evan. You know I didn't mean to bring it up. I just thought that maybe you should enjoy your first day here. After all, we are Esparto."

Evan forced a smile and managed to say, "It's okay, Brant. I know you don't mean it." And he did know. Brant was the only person who had ever attended one of his performances and clapped. Even when he froze and couldn't play a single note, Brant stood up and clapped as if he had just heard the most beautiful melody in the world. Perhaps he did. Brant's family was known for finding what others couldn't. They were the only family that utilized madness in their powers. The founding member had taken a piece of madness and tamed it to fit a fighting style. From then on, the Star family was born. They were known for their fighting prowess and their skill as spies and warriors. They mastered every weapon they could get their hands on and used madness to help boost their senses and strength. The madness could form weapons that were deadly and shields that could withhold the largest attacks. When they used their madness, black lines and patterns could be seen on their skin. The pattern depended on the person, but all who saw the black patterns knew that it was a Star member. Brant was a prodigy Star. Unlike Evan, he had grown up in the spotlight and content with it. Or so it seemed.

After Brant had clapped for Evan, they had become the best of friends (with his sister occasionally in the picture of course). Evan had come to appreciate his skill with Brant's encouragement and companionship. Evan had looked up to his friend. He thought Brant a powerful entity that could look at any situation and smile. Then Brant's mother died during a mission and Evan saw that even the strongest could fall. He had stayed with Brant through the funeral and once they were alone, Brant had broken down into racking sobs. Brant was arrogant. But that arrogance was a way for him to deal with the madness inside of him and the insecurity of never being good enough of a Star. Being a prodigy had its downsides and the need to be constantly strong was one of them.

"Class!" bellowed Professor Stein.

Evan snapped out of his reveries and looked down at the "stage" below. Professor Stein had always been an Esparto instructor. He had countless scars and stiches on his face and some areas of his skin seemed like it had been replaced with the wrong color. Some thought he was a mad scientist turned teacher. Some thought him a mass murderer on his parole. But the Esparto knew better. Professor Stein had been the greatest of his time. He had fought countless uprisings of madness and succeeded. But one could only spend so many countless years in the field without going mad. Professor Stein had spent a little too long in the field. That was it. His students understood that and accepted him for it. He was the best of the best and that was all they could ask him for.

"We're going to be having a new student this year," Professor Stein said after getting the class's attention. Almost as if on cue, the classroom door slid open and the new student stepped in.

The first thing everybody noticed was the teen's hair. It was pitch black like the darkest night except for three seemingly misplaced white horizontal stripes that cut across his only half of his head. It was like the white stripes had decided to occupy only half of the student's head just out of spite. The next thing they noticed about him were his golden eyes. They were startling because nobody had golden eyes and they seemed to bore into one's soul. Evan knew what that felt like more than anybody else. His skin was unnaturally pale and he stood with an air of regality. The new kid wore a neat, black suit, which was strange attire for one not attending a wedding. Then everybody saw the skull embroidered into his tie.

"You're a Death!" exclaimed Brant. Leave it up to the ego centered Star to notice it first.

The new kid looked up at Brant and shuddered. That was strange. Evan saw the way the Death's eyes searched the room in horror as if he was in a living hell.

When the Death didn't reply, Professor Stein prompted, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The new kid shivered again and then stuttered, "I-I'm Death t-the Kid…"

Somebody in the room snickered. A child of Death shouldn't be so scared. Nobody in the Esparto was that shy of a person. It was strange to see Death's heir, no less, stuttering in an introduction. Only Death's heir was allowed to have the title of Death the Kid.

Everybody in the classroom waited for the rest of Kid's introduction and eyebrows were raised when nothing else came. Usually a person said what they enjoyed and didn't enjoy in an introduction or where they came from. Was the new heir really that scared?

Professor Stein coughed uncomfortably. He wasn't very good with dealing with emotion. "Ah…Kid, why don't you go to the seventh row-"

"Eighth!" Death the Kid suddenly exclaimed in anguish.

Everybody in the room gave Death's hair a confused stare. "I'm sorry Kid," Professor Stein slowly said. "What do you mean?"

"Eighth!" Kid shouted again. His voice trembled as if he were being tortured. "Please! Put me in the _eighth_ row!"

"Why?" Professor Stein asked, baffled.

Kid whirled upon the professor so quickly everybody missed the motion. One second he was facing the class and the next he was shouting into the professor's face.

"Seven is probably the most asymmetrical number known to mankind!" Kid shrieked hysterically. "Eight is beautifully crafted. The perfect circles, the perfect curves! But seven is disgusting! The way one side is a perfect slant but the other is a _horizontal_ line! It's blasphemy!" He wrung his hands. "How could anybody stand the number? How can anybody stand this _classroom_! The tables and chairs are perfectly lined up but then the way the students are _seated_! They're skipping a seat here and there and it's not symmetrical! How could something so symmetrical be ruined by the way people _sit_?"

Professor Stein clamped a hand over Kid's mouth and soothingly said, "Alright, alright…you may sit in the eighth row." Kid's eyebrows furrowed in frustration again but Professor Stein quickly added, "And we'll all sit so that the room is more symmetrical."

Death's heir noticeably relaxed and he detached himself from the professor's grasp. "Thank you."

Brant winced. "Hey, Evan…aren't we in the eighth row?"

Evan counted the rows and groaned to himself. Great. Now they had to sit in with the insane kid with asymmetriphobia. How could this mess of a person possibly be the next Death?

Kid made his way up the steps with a lithe stride and settled right in between Brant and Evan.

"Hey, what gives?" Brant hissed.

Kid looked at Brant in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"If you hadn't noticed, you just sat in between us."

"But the seat was open."

"There are plenty of other seats in this row besides that one."

"But there were only two of you in the eighth row and the only way to make it symmetrical was if I sat in the middle so that if you were to draw a straight line down, you would neatly cut me in half and there would be an even number of people on each side."

Evan groaned aloud. The kid was insane.

"Hey, how could we be symmetrical," Brant asked with an evil grin, "if half of your hair is asymmetrical?"

Death the Kid abruptly paled. A look of complete shame overcame his features and he began to shake as if he were going to have a fit. Then he suddenly broke down in tears.

"You're right!" he sobbed. "I'm an abomination! I'm filthy and dirty. I'm unbalanced! Why is there only one set of stripes? I'm garbage. Asymmetrical garbage!"

Evan was taken aback by how strong Kid's reaction was. He shot Brant a glare before saying, "You're not garbage! How could you be when you're Death's son?" This was ridiculous. Evan definitely hadn't imagined spending his first day back at school comforting the (supposedly) second most powerful person in Death society.

Kid sniffled and glanced up at Evan with golden eyes. "Do you mean it?"

Evan struggled not to moan in frustration. "Of course." What are you, a five year old?

Death's heir smiled at Evan and promptly cleaned away his tears before turning his attention back towards the front where Professor Stein and the rest of the class had been staring. The professor quickly snapped out of his shock and began his lecture.

Evan quickly forgot about the new student in the lesson. He always had a habit of zoning everything out when he was concentrating, even when it was an obsessive-compulsive son of Death. Evan furiously scribbled down notes as he soaked in whatever Professor Stein was saying. If he didn't get it now, he would have a hard time remembering it later and an even harder time if the professor coincidentally asked him to demonstrate after the lesson. The professor always chose one unlucky student to demonstrate the day's lesson. He had a knack of choosing whoever hadn't been paying attention or whoever didn't understand.

When the professor finished his lecture, he promptly turned to his number one victim. "Mr. Star, if you would be ever so kind as to come down today to help me demonstrate the lesson?"

Brant never took notes or even paid attention for that matter. He had the special talent of being able to catch on once he saw something but he couldn't wrap his mind around anything that wasn't physical or visual. So he had long ago given up on paying attention during lectures. He learned completely opposite of how Evan did.

"Sure thing, professor," Brant grinned. He bounced down the steps and settled in the practicing area.

The professor made his way to the area as well and said, "Now please demonstrate how one could amplify soul waves."

The routine happened. "Sorry sir…I don't exactly understand."

Professor Stein sighed and demonstrated it himself. He pursed his lips and an emerald glow emanated around him. "Now you try."

As usual, Brant smirked and he closed his eyes for concentration. A moment later he was glowing a dark blue as his soul waves amplified.

"Good, Brant. Now if only you could produce such results without watching me first, then we would be on the right track."

Evan snickered to himself as Brant made his way back up to his seat with a scowl. Professor Stein always had the last word.

When Brant was seated, Evan was surprised to hear Kid (whom he had completely forgotten) say, "That was pretty impressive. You got it on your first try."

Brant couldn't keep in his pride. "Well, you know…"

Evan rolled his eyes. "It's nothing special. Espartos usually get it on their first try."

Kid nodded and turned back towards the front of the classroom. A look of surprise crossed his face when the professor walked out of the class. "Is that it?"

Evan stretched his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Nope. We have training next."

Kid looked at Evan curiously. "What's in the training?"

"Weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, that sort of stuff," Brant supplied.

Kid nodded again before he glanced down at his slightly askew tie to straighten it. "Sounds like fun."

"Only for Brant," Evan sighed. "He loves kicking everybody's butt out there."

"Aw, come on," Brant grinned. "You're just as good as I am."

"Please," Evan groaned. "You know you're the best at physical combat here."

"Comes with being a Star," Brant grinned. "It isn't my fault I was born amazing."

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><p><strong>I've always been interested with Kid's character. I wanted a story specified on him so here it is! I completely changed the plot so if you're looking for a canon than this isn't the place to be.<strong>


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